


Too Young

by MadameC



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: Family, Family Fluff, Feelings Realization, Internal Monologue, Zelda Spellman Needs A Hug, Zelda Spellman is emotionally repressed, Zelda Spellman-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-07 02:14:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19075417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadameC/pseuds/MadameC
Summary: "The Mephisto Waltz" episode of CAOS had many twists and turns, but what did Zelda Spellman think of it all? A look at the episode from her POV, mainly focusing on her mother-daughter relationship with Sabrina. Hope you enjoy!





	1. The Mask of Zelda Spellman

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! I know that I have not posted in a long time, but I have just graduated from college and am free for a bit! I still do not think there are enough Sabrina/Zelda mother-daughter stories out there, so I decided to create another one but with a bit of a different set-up than the last one. This one focuses more on Zelda specifically instead of Sabrina, but her thoughts always tend to go back to Sabrina. Of course, I own none of the characters, places, lines of dialogue, etc. Happy reading!

“As his child bride? Well- Over my dead body. You’re too young.”

Zelda said this statement with finality and a steely determination unlike any she had uttered before. There was no way in heaven or hell that she would let her girl be subjected to the same… treatment that she had under that infernal Caligari spell. The humiliation. The uncontrollability. The shame.

“You’ll stand against the Dark Lord, Auntie?” Zelda was ashamed that Ambrose did not already know the answer with no degree of uncertainty. No unwavering trust.

“For Sabrina, certainly. Family comes first.”

Zelda could tell that the rest of her family- probably Nicholas, too- was surprised at her statement. She knew that in the past she could have been likened to a religious zealot, but her marriage, if it could be called that, to Father Blackwood along with the lies and deception she discovered up until this point made her more of a skeptic than she felt she had ever been, even as a child.

Her new religion lied with her family, but she supposed that is where it had always been even if she hadn’t realized it. The danger that her family, particularly Sabrina, faced in the past months made her quite aware that she would do anything for them even if it meant turning her back on her religion. Nothing up until the point of Sabrina’s failed dark baptism had ever made her have to make the choice.

With the choices set in front of her, it was obvious that her family members had to be the ones to always come first. Always. And with the Dark Lord wanting her Sabrina, her child, as his bride… well, she would not stand for that. Not now, nor ever.

Zelda thought back to her time with Faustus. Her time with him, which felt permanent and unceasing, was the only time in her life where she did not feel as if she had any control. Yes, of course, there were times when she could not control the actions of her family, but she still had control of herself in those dark moments. But no, the spell took everything from her. It took her ability to fight back. To enjoy any... pleasantries that the marriage may have yielded. Most of all, it took the ability from her to help her family when they so desperately needed her and when she absolutely felt she might perish if she could not get to them.

When she came back from their honeymoon because of the witch hunters in the Academy, she was not yet aware of what happened to her family. To her Sabrina. Prudence recounted how Sabrina burst into the desecrated church, was shot with arrows and breathed what was supposed to be her last breath, but then resurrected herself and claimed herself to be “the Dark Lord’s sword” before massacring the angels.

While Prudence was telling the tale, Zelda could do nothing but smile with a hollow stare as she listened. Her psyche, the part of her that was not controlled by the spell, was desperately trying to claw its way out of her own body in order to release itself so she could return home.

When she heard Sabrina had been murdered, though, she was glad for just a moment that she was under the spell. She knew that if she wasn’t, she would have crumbled to the ground and wailed, inconsolable in her grief. She wasn’t there when Sabrina died. She. Was. Not. There. The what-ifs of it all could’ve eaten her alive if she had let it. She almost did.

 

* * *

 

“Aunt Zelda, the Dark Lord needed me. A girl that represented the two tribes. He wants to rule over humans and witches. Why else would my father marry my mother?”

“Even if that’s true, you’ll not be the Dark Lord’s queen. We’re Spellmans. We always find a way.”

Zelda had never, in her wildest dreams or nightmares, thought her brother could possibly be the… adversary of his own daughter. The one that would cause her to potentially lose everything she held near and dear. Her freedom. Her power. Her family.

Even though Zelda vehemently opposed the union of him and Diana she was sure that they both loved each other deeply. Had he been made to procreate with a mortal in order to fulfill the prophecy? Had he been asked, nay threatened, to do so before or after they fell in love with each other?

These questions were asinine, she supposed, as Edward was dead and she could not find a reliable source otherwise to tell her the whole truth. The Dark Lord could, but he was out of the realm of questioning at the moment.

What she said was not false, however. They were Spellmans and they would find a way around what seemed like an impossibility, even if it meant fighting him face to face. She would do anything for her girl, even if she had to greet death in doing so. Death would be a welcomed comfort if it so happened that the prophecy could not be stopped and she was helpless to shield Sabrina from the horrors she experienced herself.

She could not think about those now. Not quite yet. She had a child to save and the patriarchy to overthrow.

 

* * *

 

 

“I don’t care who the Dark Lord is to me. I’m a Spellman and I will always be a Spellman. And I’ll fight him until my last dying breath. I just don’t know how yet.”

With this last declaration Sabrina uttered, Zelda wanted nothing more than to take her niece and hide her away until they figured out how to fix the situation at hand. Since Sabrina was such an integral and non-replaceable part to the whole thing, however, Zelda had to settle for blinking back tears in her own eyes as she looked at the drops flowing out of Sabrina’s.

Zelda, as well as the rest of the family, was struck by the revelation at hand. Sabrina was not Edward’s daughter and never had been. She was not a Spellman by blood, nor was she even just a half-witch half-mortal. She was something the world had never seen before. Something no one ever expected.

This new divulgence, however, did nothing to dissuade Zelda, or the rest of the family, that Sabrina was not a Spellman, or less of a Spellman, than she was before. Zelda and Hilda raised her, loved her, and tried to teach her how to not just be a fine witch but also a quality being. Nothing could take away the experiences, the trials, the memories that were woven deeply into the minds of all of them. Those things created the unconventional, but unwanting family that they are today. Sabrina was still as much of a Spellman as any of them. That was certain.

Zelda thought back to Sabrina’s childhood. Hilda, of course, was sugary sweet and gave Sabrina all that she desired in the world. Stories at bedtime, cuddles whenever requested, and her favorite blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Zelda, as always, had to take on the role of disciplinarian and therefore was not the one Sabrina first ran to when something was amiss.

Zelda did not play with stuffed bunnies or sing along to children’s cartoons as Hilda did, but she introduced Sabrina to responsibility, showed her how to stand up for herself, and revealed how to control her newfound magical abilities when the time came. Those things were not as interesting to a young child as stuffed animals or television, but important to Zelda for Sabrina to be exposed to nonetheless.

Though she did not often show it outwardly like Hilda tended to do, she loved Sabrina with everything in her. She realized that she could not love Sabrina any more if she were her own biological child and would do anything to keep her safe. She had to learn about consequences yes, but when those consequences became dire everyone could be damned well sure that Zelda would be there to step in.

Sabrina might not have realized this, though. Zelda was always watching from the shadows, making sure everything was alright with her girl. Those brief flickers of her true emotions manifesting outwardly did make their appearances, even if they were merely scattered and brief. The exorcism of Jesse Putnam. The Feast of Feasts. The resurrection and re-killing of Tommy Kinkle.

Those were “special occasions,” she humorlessly laughed to herself. But usually, and with brief shame at her own coldness, she settled for the role of cool indifference. Only she knew how her hands twitched toward Sabrina when she knew she wanted comfort, blinked back tears when she had to leave for school the first (and second, and third) time, and hid her genuine smile of pride when she stood up for herself even though she was breaking every rule she had ever been asked to follow.

If they got through this, Zelda thought to herself, she would make sure Sabrina knew her. Truly and wholly and for the first time knew her Aunt Zelda and what lay behind the mask.

 

 

 


	2. The Grand Reveal

It was finally over. The nightmare that had been plaguing them since the Dark Lord had started calling on Sabrina was finished. Albeit, there had been sacrifices- namely, one Nicholas Scratch- but everyone came out unscathed. Physically, that is.

Things had seemingly returned to normal. The Dark Lord was trapped inside the body of Nicholas, Lilith was ruling over Hell, and Sabrina and her friends were trying to find a way to get Nicholas back. The family was reunited and whole again, but a fracture laid between two members.

There were still some deep and unspoken hurts that had to be addressed before the aftermath of the past months was completely wiped away from existence, namely that of Sabrina and Zelda Spellman. When Zelda tried to shield Sabrina from certain… sacrifices that tended to plague her life, Sabrina was often either left in the dark or misunderstood the true meaning behind the action. It just so happened that her marriage to Faustus Blackwood was both.

Sabrina was confused as to why the marriage was happening in the first place and felt betrayed by her aunt’s apparent choosing of Father Blackwood over her and the rest of the family. The choice of him over helping her with Ambrose. With the missionaries. With her newfound powers after her resurrection.

One night after her now nightly prayer to Lilith, Zelda made the decision that it was time to address all that had happened between her and Sabrina. She needed to clear the air for not only Sabrina’s sake, but her own as well.

She was not an openly emotional person; anyone who was even a mere acquaintance could figure as much. The person she wanted to be open with was not just anyone, however. She had to remind herself that no matter how much frustration and hurt there had been in the past, this was still the same Sabrina. The Sabrina she loved, who loved her, and who would understand her if she explained herself.

* * *

 

With a resolute sigh, she trekked up the stairs, past the (tacky, she thought) wall of shoes, and came to Sabrina’s bedroom door. Hesitating only a moment, she knocked on it and waited. After a faint “come in” rang out to her through the wood of the door, she tightly grasped the knob and turned it until it opened.

When she opened the door, she found Sabrina in her bed with her covers up to her chin, and her stuffed rabbit lying next to her. Salem was at the foot of the bed, looking at her attentively but calmly. Looking at Sabrina, she wondered how long it had been since she had been the one to tuck her in instead of Hilda. Probably about five years, she thought to herself.

Tears briefly welled in her eyes at seeing her girl so calm, so relaxed, so innocent. Since her failed dark baptism, there had been nothing but trouble for her in the witching world as well as the mortal one. Now, though there was still danger afoot, it was not nearly as dire for Sabrina as it had been when Lilith had not been on their side and when the Dark Lord was still roaming.

“Aunt Zelda?” Sabrina started. “Did you need something? You’ve kind of been standing there a while.”

Sabrina’s words slingshotting her back into reality, she quietly closed the door behind her and walked over to Sabrina’s bed, sitting on the edge of it. Zelda realized that she just had to take the plunge and start speaking so that she could get all that was on her mind and heart out on the table to be laid bare before them both. Sabrina suddenly sat up attentively from her prone position and realized that her aunt most certainly had something on her mind, as she usually never came into her room this late at night.

“Sabrina, I just want to explain myself. About the things I have done. I know these past few months have been difficult. Especially since I was not here for much of it.” Zelda swallowed and allowed herself to continue, Sabrina looking at her with a scrunched brow. “I know that it has caused tension between us. My marriage to Father Blackwood, that is. It was stupid and it was wrong. You told me that from the beginning. But I did it because I wanted.. no I needed to regain some footing for this family. With all that’s happened, we were all targets. I was just so afraid…”

Zelda took a deep breath and steadied herself to reveal her deep and darkest motivations for her sham of a marriage, “so afraid that I would be left alone. That you all would be taken away from me. I thought maybe if I became Lady Blackwood I could persuade Father Blackwood to look onto the Spellmans with favor once again and we could rise through the ranks.”

Zelda now turned to look at Sabrina squarely in the eyes, which were welling with tears about to spill over. She could tell Sabrina wanted to say something but was waiting for her aunt to finish. “I was afraid, that with all the unorthodox spells and rituals you were performing, that you would be the first to be destroyed. That you would be snatched from me, without me being able to stop it no matter how hard I would have fought. Believe me, I would have fought to no end.”

Zelda took a deep breath and closed her eyes, waiting for Sabrina to say something. When she opened her eyes again to look at her, tears were spilling out of Sabrina’s eyes. “Auntie. I don’t know what to say. I’ll admit. I was angry when you married Father Blackwood. That you were just letting your family… letting me fend for myself when I really needed you the most. Auntie I died.. I died and you weren’t there.”

When Sabrina said this, Zelda’s eyes filled with tears and ran over, a single droplet falling down both cheeks. “Oh, Sabrina I know, I know. Praise Lilith that you weren’t... gone forever. I never would have been able to live with the fact of you perishing while I was on my honeymoon. _Never_. When Prudence told about your death and resurrection, I felt as if I myself was dying inside even though I could do absolutely nothing about it. All I could do was pour that damned tea and smile. I was trapped, I…”

Zelda had to stop speaking, as her voice was breaking every other word, choking on the tears clogging her throat. She willed herself to continue for her sake and Sabrina’s: “I couldn’t do anything. I would have been there in an instant if I knew what was really going on at the Academy. I _need_ you to know that I would have been at your side in a flash if I could have been. But I just couldn’t.”

Her aunt looked defeated and devastated, which absolutely broke Sabrina’s heart. Zelda, who was the strongest witch she ever knew, was absolutely breaking down before her very eyes, desperate to make Sabrina understand her. To repair their relationship that had started to crack under the pressure of misunderstandings and hidden impulses.

Sabrina took the pause in her aunt’s speech as an opportunity to speak herself. “I... I think I’m starting to understand now. Why you did certain things and didn’t do others. I… I’m sorry that I didn’t think about it past what I felt. I didn’t think about you or what you were feeling. I… I think I’m still a little angry about not being let know what was going on all the time, but I really appreciate you being honest about all this. I know it’s really hard for you. I think it shows me how much you do love me.”

Zelda smiled through her tears and said, “I do Sabrina. I do love you more than I thought possible to love another being. I’m just sorry that I did not express that to you more clearly.”

Sabrina patted the space next to her up against the headboard of her bed, beckoning Zelda to sit next to her. Zelda, as gracefully as she could, shuffled to a sitting position next to Sabrina and let out a relieved sigh as she cuddled up next to her, her head in Zelda’s neck and arms wrapped around each other. “I love you Auntie Zee,” Sabrina whispered in Zelda’s neck just loudly enough for her to hear. They sat contentedly for a few minutes, Zelda’s eyes closed taking in the closeness and comfort her girl provided her. Sabrina, on the other hand, was thinking about the spell her aunt was put under by Blackwood.

She knew her aunt hardly subjected herself to anyone ever besides those in power, but knew that recently Zelda broke more rules than she probably cared to admit. The spell that took away her freedom, her will, and her ability to fight back had to have hurt her more deeply than she ever cared to admit, if she would admit so at all. Hoping that her aunt did not shut herself up emotionally after the outpouring they both just experienced, she hesitantly asked her, “Auntie... how did you deal with that? The... the spell I mean. It must have been absolutely terrible. I’m really sorry you had to go through that.” Holding her breath and waiting for her aunt’s reply, she was relieved when her aunt responded to her after a few seconds.

“Oh Sabrina. It was absolutely deplorable. All I could do was watch the world around me without being able to control any of my own actions. Father Blackwood made every move for me. I had no means to fight back in any way from anything I was subjected to. Nothing. You know how I am. I want to be heard. I like the control I have and never planned to give that up, even if I ever got married. But I couldn’t do anything to stop what was happening. Absolutely nothing…”

Her aunt stopped speaking as she was choked by the raw, fresh grief that welled up in her eyes and throat, clutching Sabrina to herself and burying her face in her neck as she wept. As she did, Sabrina sat up straight and let her aunt slouch into her body, holding her tightly as she let her emotions loose for probably one of the first times in her entire life. Sabrina, when she thought about it, realized that the position they were in mirrored the one they had occupied when she came back to the mortuary after the incident with Tommy, except that their positions were switched, with Sabrina being the provider of the comfort this time around.

While Zelda was still softly crying, Sabrina softly said, “Auntie, I know that you like to keep your emotions kind of bottled up inside of you. That’s just how you are because I know you like to come off as strong all the time. And I have always admired your strength. But you have to know that I, and Ambrose, and Auntie Hilda love you a lot and that we won’t judge you or think of you as weak if you wanted to let go sometimes. You don’t always have to be strong for us; we can hold you up too. You just have to trust us.”

With that, Zelda looked up at Sabrina. Her eyes were streaked with the heavy mascara she wore running down her cheeks, her face was blotchy, and her hair was out of its usually perfect place, but Sabrina thought she looked beautiful nonetheless. Zelda gave a small smile, nodded, and resumed her position in Sabrina’s arms. She was finally content.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review if you have the time! I am quite new to the world of writing and would love some constructive criticism or general reviews of the story as a whole. Also I would love to hear some of your ideas for Zelda/Sabrina stories that I could start working on soon! I hope you all enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> Please review! Give me suggestions for what I should do for the next (and final) chapter. Should I still have it be kind of a first-person monologue or change to third-person in order to capture more of the dialogue of the characters? What do you think Sabrina and Zelda should talk about? How do you think Zelda will approach the talk? Let me know in the comments down below and I really hope you liked it so far!


End file.
